Comments that want to write your story

I've noticed a genre of commentary that is often positive but sometimes hard to tell, where the commentator will basically just say what they think should happen next in a series (or possible sequels), or even what SHOULD have happened in the story they're commenting on. It has literally never been my impulse to try to influence an author and their work, so I genuinely don't know what the impulse is. Benign 'wouldn't it be fun if [kink] happened' is all well and good, but I will also get suggestions for character development and plot beats.

And usually, the tone is quite forceful! It tends to make me feel like I am going to disappoint one person in particular (or however many leave those comments) if I don't deliver.

Do you get many of these? Do you ever take inspiration from them, or simply view it as a form of flattery more than criticism?
I don't get many. I got one on my "Medicinal Mountain Magic" story. It was a romance story and most comments were positive. The characters went their separate ways at the end of the story and there were a few who lamented that happening. However one reader took it a lot more personally:

"Five star story - 1 star ending. Most disappointed you left them to go their separate ways. There are hundreds of stories on this site alone in which this age disparity have worked out in a positive manner. You perhaps exceeded your intention of making their feelings for each other more than intended, but I read it as true love, not something to be abandoned because of an age difference that wasn't even clearly defined. Now go back and write a part two in which either or both seek out the other."

Many readers want the story to end with a nice bow, everything tied up nice and neat and everyone living happily ever after, but THAT AIN'T LIFE. And while I do read the comments and consider the reader's view point, I am not really inclined to do something that is demanded, especially since I think the ending was perfect for what I was trying to accomplish.

I think Bramblethorn said it best in his post: "...and part of the point is that a relationship doesn't have to be forever to be important and positive."

People touch our lives every day and leave a mark, good or bad then move on. To that point I was in a discussion about polyamorous relationships. I pointed out that my wife and I were in one with another couple for 15 years, almost twice as long as the average marriage in the U.S. The response was, "Yeah but it ended didn't it? Since it did end it wasn't a good relationship." Faulty logic if I ever heard it. The relationship did end. All things eventually come to an end. We did have some bad feelings when it happened, but all four of us grew in the time we were together. All four of us took something positive away when we parted. Bramblethorn's comment is a perfect quote for reality.

Back to the main focus of the discussion. I read that comment, like I do with all that are posted, thought about it and rejected the idea because the characters wouldn't have been the same people had I done what was demanded. That said, comments can carry valuable insight and nuggets of inspiration, sometimes.

Comshaw
 
The only suggestions I've received repeatedly was that it "would be great if the women all loved and got lots of anal sex." That's not my thing.
 
Most of the comments I get along those lines are pretty harmless.

I don't mind them, but they don't really influence much either.

Readers of my Jenna series love to speculate or offer suggestions on what should happen next. And quite often they're on target with plans I already have, although not always.

I had to laugh at one comment made about a nameless, faceless couple my two main leads admired for a moment during a concert, expressing their hope that said couple would show up in future chapters.

Sorry, but not EVERY SINGLE CHARACTER, especially undeveloped extras, are there to be fucked lol.

Still, I try to take these things as compliments. Someone is invested enough in my story to want to somehow contribute.
 
I might have mentioned this before, but since we spoke about cults and all, I think the most 'pressure' I have been under was in my Fantasy series 'The Apprentice'. I made my male MC heroic, and getting more powerful as the series progressed, yet I have also made him extremely chivalrous and I've made him as someone who wants to please women and defers to their pleasure, even if that made him seem sexually submissive.

I got barraged for some time with feedback asking for him to become sexually dominant, that he doesn't make sense as a character being brave and assertive outside sex and seemingly submissive in sex and so on... I was perplexed by this for a while, but when I explored SciFi and Fantasy category further, I realized that the most prevalent theme by far was a dominant male MC with a monster cock who keeps a harem of submissive girls and impregnates them.

It is of course a completely legit theme, yet it made me realize that readers were probably expecting it from me as well, but since I never changed my MC in that way, I believe that decision had made my series less popular than it would otherwise have been.
I do not regret it one bit, and I will definitely stick to my own ideas, yet I feel like I have the comfort of that option because I am not writing for the market and for any commercial purpose. How many of you who sell your stuff on SmashWords, Amazon and such have that same problem? Do you write for the market at least to a degree?
 
I might have mentioned this before, but since we spoke about cults and all, I think the most 'pressure' I have been under was in my Fantasy series 'The Apprentice'. I made my male MC heroic, and getting more powerful as the series progressed, yet I have also made him extremely chivalrous and I've made him as someone who wants to please women and defers to their pleasure, even if that made him seem sexually submissive.

I got barraged for some time with feedback asking for him to become sexually dominant, that he doesn't make sense as a character being brave and assertive outside sex and seemingly submissive in sex and so on... I was perplexed by this for a while, but when I explored SciFi and Fantasy category further, I realized that the most prevalent theme by far was a dominant male MC with a monster cock who keeps a harem of submissive girls and impregnates them.

It is of course a completely legit theme, yet it made me realize that readers were probably expecting it from me as well, but since I never changed my MC in that way, I believe that decision had made my series less popular than it would otherwise have been.
I do not regret it one bit, and I will definitely stick to my own ideas, yet I feel like I have the comfort of that option because I am not writing for the market and for any commercial purpose. How many of you who sell your stuff on SmashWords, Amazon and such have that same problem? Do you write for the market at least to a degree?
Thanks. I feel validated that my own experiences have been mirrored in other categories. I was beginning to doubt my memory. Yup, sames here
 
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Yeah, getting a bunch of suggestions in the last couple of series, usually in diametric opposition ("she should totally make Lily her bitch", then "I hope she becomes Lily's bitch"). The thing you realise is that everyone brings their own stuff to your stories, right? Though I have to say getting read the BDSM rules riot act in a story where the principal characters are admitting in the text they're trying to learn about it and making mistakes was a little rough.

ofbuttons, yeah, just steer your own course with the Doghouse, you're doing a good job.

And as for the anon commenters, my open invitation still stands: if you think you have a better take, write it and I'll link it in the comments. It's a big world, happy to invite you in, and suddenly there's one less of them, and one more of us.
I appreciate the encouragement, and the insight. The BDSM riot act type comments makes me laugh every time I either see it or receive it, honestly. Kind of makes me think of someone watching a Die Hard movie and complaining that the terrorists didn't ask for John McClane's consent for hurting him. Obviously, not quite that extreme, but still equally silly as far as chastising the author for deliberately writing characters behaving badly or making mistakes. It's fiction, not a demonstration, and the audience those stories are for actively don't want to read about safe/sane content.

Will be sure to write my story as I want to. I know there's an audience out there for it, as I am that audience.
This topic has gotten a huge response. It occurred to me that Lit is not like a small literary journal. It's a place for the mass production of, ah, written stuff.

I could use the analogy of Amazon.com, where readers can order anything they want, then rate it (one to five, I think, like here) and comment on it. It's rather impersonal, but we mostly couldn't publish anything under the older print system. Try to get something into Harper's magazine if you're not, say, T.C. Boyle. (I think they had Joan Didion at least once.)
It's nice to know I'm not alone (or that my genre isn't alone).

That engagement attitude sounds correct. It's a bit of a wild west out here, between the absence of financial transaction and convenience.
[...]

I had to laugh at one comment made about a nameless, faceless couple my two main leads admired for a moment during a concert, expressing their hope that said couple would show up in future chapters.

Sorry, but not EVERY SINGLE CHARACTER, especially undeveloped extras, are there to be fucked lol.

[...]
Bracing myself for opinions when I start introducing even more people. I may get the opposite, though: "please, not him!"
In all my writing, in any bad review or comment, I always remember what Rob Reiner said, when the movie "North" was just savagely reviewed by one very well known critic.

"Eh, you read between the lines ... it ain't so bad!"

If whoever wrote the comment was that great, they'd be publishing. Spend your time at the keyboard, writing, not on unconstructive negative comments.
Honestly, really good point. Writing is a lot more than just nice looking prose or convincing dialogue (or titillating pornography), it's also pacing, representing ideas, setting a mood, etc. I'm sure that some of the really negative or really bossy ones would love to see their fantasies represented in text but probably haven't been able to make it happen.
 
I've noticed a genre of commentary that is often positive but sometimes hard to tell, where the commentator will basically just say what they think should happen next in a series (or possible sequels),
You aint lying. I've seen comments on others' stories like "You know what would be goood" then they write 350 word synopsis with a plot, subplot, character development and a twist ending. Its like bro just go write your story lol
 
Personally I’m ok with comments that suggest a different approach to a story or sequel suggestions. I just hope the commenters are ok with me not going that direction if I don’t want to do that. In extreme cases, they can remember why God created the impulse to create the ideas of parallel universes and fanfiction vs canon. Then exercise their own obvious creativity.
 
Do you get many of these? Do you ever take inspiration from them, or simply view it as a form of flattery more than criticism?
It's always nice when people are involved enough to start blue-skying the sequels they want, or alternate fates for characters they liked. I don't try to write or rewrite to those expectations, though. I wrote the story I wrote, and if it worked for me and connected with some sort of readership, I'm not motivated to change it.
 
I appreciate the encouragement, and the insight. The BDSM riot act type comments makes me laugh every time I either see it or receive it, honestly. Kind of makes me think of someone watching a Die Hard movie and complaining that the terrorists didn't ask for John McClane's consent for hurting him. Obviously, not quite that extreme, but still equally silly as far as chastising the author for deliberately writing characters behaving badly or making mistakes. It's fiction, not a demonstration, and the audience those stories are for actively don't want to read about safe/sane content.
THIS. A million times this.
 
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